The insignia is red, but it looks like a USA marking
What's with the red national marking on this F-18
- Thread starter Cap'n Jack
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35 AoA
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Fancy paint job I believe. That's a US jet.
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Velocity173
VMFA-323 “Death Rattlers” probably taken in the pattern at MCAS Miramar.
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35 AoA
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Yeah was gonna guess them, but the 3 digit side number threw me off.....but I forgot they still had boat squadrons until recently.
You got the location right, and it loked to be in the pattern
Thanks much!
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What’s s scary is, I could tell just by the lighting that’s in the pattern at Miramar.
Velocity173,
Who watched way too many Hornets landing in the pattern at Miramar.
Are those also off the carriers, or are they all just "Hornets"?What’s s scary is, I could tell just by the lighting that’s in the pattern at Miramar.
Velocity173,
Who watched way too many Hornets landing in the pattern at Miramar.
wanttaja
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For those who aren't aware, VMFA-323 is a Marine unit. Red and gold are the Marine colors, which probably explains the different coloration of the national insignia.
Ron Wanttaja
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While 323 is / was the the west coast Marine Hornet carrier squadron, it’s like @35 AoA said, it’s a fancy paint job. Kinda like a CAG bird in a Navy squadron. Whether it be station or shipboard, they almost always have one painted up without the usual all gray scheme.
35 AoA
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VMFAT-101 had a long string of pretty cool looking show birds. First F/A-18 I ever flew was their brown+green camo F/A-18B. Pretty sure it has been retired from service for quite a few years now, but it was a cool looking jet. If I recall correctly, one of the wings wouldn't fold at the time
@Cap'n Jack in the final years of seagoing Marine Hornet squadrons, IIRC it was VMFA-323, VMFA-251 and VMFA-314 who were each integrated into Navy Carrier Air Wings. My understanding is that this will recur with USMC F-35C's in the nearish future. But there will be no more Hornets flying off boats, with the Marines ringing the bell for the last time in this last year. Incidentally, I believe VMFA-314 was the first Hornet safe for flight in 1983, before any Navy squadron.
@Cap'n Jack in the final years of seagoing Marine Hornet squadrons, IIRC it was VMFA-323, VMFA-251 and VMFA-314 who were each integrated into Navy Carrier Air Wings. My understanding is that this will recur with USMC F-35C's in the nearish future. But there will be no more Hornets flying off boats, with the Marines ringing the bell for the last time in this last year. Incidentally, I believe VMFA-314 was the first Hornet safe for flight in 1983, before any Navy squadron.
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VMFAT-101 had a long string of pretty cool looking show birds. First F/A-18 I ever flew was their brown+green camo F/A-18B. Pretty sure it has been retired from service for quite a few years now, but it was a cool looking jet. If I recall correctly, one of the wings wouldn't fold at the time
@Cap'n Jack in the final years of seagoing Marine Hornet squadrons, IIRC it was VMFA-323, VMFA-251 and VMFA-314 who were each integrated into Navy Carrier Air Wings. My understanding is that this will recur with USMC F-35C's in the nearish future. But there will be no more Hornets flying off boats, with the Marines ringing the bell for the last time in this last year. Incidentally, I believe VMFA-314 was the first Hornet safe for flight in 1983, before any Navy squadron.
232 Red Devils and 312 Checkerboards were on some of the later deployments as well.
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35 AoA
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^ Ooops by 314 I meant 312. And yeah, 232 swapped out with 323 a number of years ago for a few years.